


a bright light

by AlexSeanchai (EllieMurasaki)



Category: Chronicles of Narnia - All Media Types
Genre: 3 Sentence Ficathon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-23
Updated: 2015-02-23
Packaged: 2018-03-14 17:08:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 708
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3418742
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EllieMurasaki/pseuds/AlexSeanchai
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Who says girls aren't as good as boys?</p>
            </blockquote>





	a bright light

"They call her Lucy the _Valiant_ ," says Akemi-hime of Tachibana to her brother Hayate, "and if I correctly understand the word, it denotes courage and strength of heart; I would not think her easily swayed by a handsome face and tales of battle prowess."

"It's not Lucy herself I must concern myself with," says Hayate airily, "it's her brother-kings—if she's as lovely a woman as the tales say, I simply _must_ convince King Peter that the marriage treaty he's surely planning for her must be with Tachibana and with me, while you persuade him that you are the best possible High Queen."

Akemi has no wish to marry any man at all, and suspects Queen Lucy of the same, but of course she knows better than to say this out loud.

*

"You flatter me, Prince Hayate," says Queen Lucy, "but I fear I have heard enough of pretty words for a lifetime. I know my own worth, and it is not measured by my fairness of face or by how much trade goods might flow between Narnia and Tachibana were you to court and win me. For which you have started entirely wrong, by the way."

*

"I almost wish _I_ were here to court King Peter, and _you_ to win Queen Lucy," says Hayate in frustration. "He and I could be excellent friends, and she is just wasting my time like women always do."

"Perhaps I should waste no more of your time, then," says Akemi, and makes her escape.

*

Akemi, like any gently reared woman of Tachibana, has war-fans and knows how to use them. She is dancing katas in one of the gardens when Queen Lucy and her Tigress guard Kalyana happen upon them: Lucy immediately challenges her to an exhibition match, Akemi's fans against Lucy's daggers.

Akemi narrowly wins, pressing the sharp edge of her fan ever so gently against Lucy's throat, and the laughter in Lucy's eyes invites Akemi to smile in return.

*

Akemi can _see_ the moment Lucy's patience with Hayate snaps: so can everyone else, because it's the moment that Lucy announces to the entire hall, "Were the women of Narnia to go to war against the men of Tachibana, I would wager my crown on Narnia's victory."

Hayate splutters.

Akemi murmurs to High King Peter beside her, "In that war, I'd back Narnia."

*

Lucy sets up the pieces for a game of chess, chattering about the rules—it is at the same time more and less complicated than Go, and Akemi expects the game to be an educational experience.

"It's really a shame that you're here to court Peter, and your brother to lay siege to me, instead of the other way around," Lucy adds after an explanation of the powers of the queen piece, "because your brother would never understand why the queen is so much more powerful than the king, both on the board and off."

Akemi blushes and smiles, and says "Hayate said something similar, but it would not be proper for two men to marry, or two women either."

*

"Perhaps it is improper in Tachibana for two women to marry," Lucy says, "but in Narnia many of the Animals have a tradition of it—it's not as common as a man and a woman marrying, but no one thinks anything of it, and we are in Narnia, after all. In fact my brother Edmund has always been half convinced that I am one of those who cannot fathom the thought of marrying a man; truth be told, I've never met a man good enough for me, but as for women—" She bites her lip, takes a deep breath, then drops to one knee beside Akemi: "Would you do me the honor of marrying me?"

*

Lucy rides off with her sister-queen and brother-kings one day. Akemi thinks nothing of it.

None of the Four return.

*

Princess-Consort Akemi never takes the title High Queen, nor the High King's throne—but not for want of councillors insisting that she, as the only heir, is the only one entitled to that throne. She sits instead on the throne of Queen Lucy, and watches over Narnia, intending to do so until the Four return.

Or until she dies: whichever comes first.


End file.
